New transit routes, water taxi during Miramichi, N.B., bridge closure

The Centennial Bridge in Miramichi, N.B., will be closed to all traffic from April to December.

After years of planning and warning, the Centennial Bridge in Miramichi, N.B., will close to all traffic on April 1.

The closure will last for eight months.

More than 13,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily, which links Douglastown and Chatham.The provincial government says the closure will take place in both 2026 and 2027 to replace the bridge deck on the north and south approach spans. Both of the closures are scheduled between April 1 and Dec. 1.

The province says an additional bridge closure will be needed to carry out a final phase of work, replacing the centre span deck.

Work on the $245-million project began in 2012 and is supposed to add 60 years to the structure’s lifespan.

All work is expected to be done by 2029.

When the bridge closure takes effect on April 1, six temporary traffic lights will be placed along the detour route to help control traffic.

“It will be monitored daily and if adjustments need to be made, they will be made immediately,” says City of Miramichi spokesperson Gail Harding.

New public transit routes will be added, and the provincial government plans to operate a water taxi to carry 12 people at a time between Chatham and Douglastown this summer.

The provincial government says it will provide financial relief for additional fire and police services on both sides of the bridge during the closures.

“The main thing is public safety and making sure that traffic keeps flowing without too many problems,” says Harding.

The bridge, which spans 1.1 kilometres and is 73 metres tall, opened in 1967 and is one of the largest structures in the province. It carries Route 8 and 11 traffic across the Miramichi River.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Sean Mott

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